Boasting a vast alluvial land of the River Indus and the majestic Karakorams, Pakistan has been claimed as the land of adventure and nature. This isn’t a surprise for many nature lovers and adventure seekers – from mountaineering, white water rafting, desert and mountain jeep safaris, trout fishing to trekking and bird watching, name it and this country can offer what you are looking for.

Blessed with an abundant and diverse flora and fauna, the mighty Karakoram, Himalayas and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges offer an amazing wildlife and vegetation. Witness the alpine meadows, the fresh air of coniferous forests sloping down the scrub, the wide delta of Indus that connect to the great desert, wetlands and the coast line. The vast varying landscapes of Pakistan make it a perfect destination for all sorts of outdoor leisure and adventure.

Visit the famous Ayubia National Park and enjoy superb scenery, clear water streams, pine forests and wild flowers and butterflies combined with a captivating panorama. Take a tour at the Indus River and witness the popular Indus blind dolphin and different migratory birds. Experience adventure jjeep safari in Deosai Plains and search for brown bears inhabiting in this grassland. The vast Thar desert and the rugged hills are all ideal for the young and curious, most especially the Salt Range – an area said to be 600 million years old, with unique rocks and fossils that provide a complete record of the Earth’s history.

With its rich ancient cultural history that dates back to 3300 BC, the Indus Valley Civilization, and the old cuisine and tradition of the Islamic culture, it brings a piece of history to any kind of traveler and tourist.

Such seamless merge of the past and present makes the essence of Pakistan’s tourism, apparent by the westernized cities, the modern buildings and structures in Islamabad, the charming Swat Valley of the Hindu Kush ranges and the historical bastion in Lahore.

In the old Minto Park grounds, which are now known as the Iqbal Park grounds, is a towering spire of about 60 metres in height that just about every Pakistani knows by sight. It is the Minar-e-Pakistan, formerly the Yadgar-e-Pakistan, a tower that is said to be the symbol of Pakistan’s independence.

Amazing Minar-e-Pakistan

This is because the Minar-e-Pakistan stands on the spot where the All-India Muslim League, a group organising for the promotion of a [Read more…]

Harappa is one of the most fascinating and often-visited of Pakistan’s tourist sites: a Bronze Age city dating back to a time so long ago, so ancient that historians do not even know how to interpret the writing system used in the artefacts left behind. To be precise, though, the site was very likely not named Harappa during its time: we have no idea what name it originally had. The current name is just taken from a modern village 6 kilometres away from the excavation site.

Harappa Ruins

It is a marvel that so much of the city has managed to stay intact throughout the years and damages caused by people. The British Raj, [Read more…]

North of Hunza River is a place that is widely believed to have inspired the Shangri-La of James Hilton in his famous book, a place of ancient settlements and forts, prehistoric rock art, 7000-metre peaks, and remarkably long-lived people. Despite the near-fictional characteristics, this is in fact a real place: this is Hunza Valley, which lies at an altitude of approximately 2,500m from sea level.

Beautiful Hunza Valley

Hunza Valley used to be administered as a princely state, and though Aliabad is the current capital, Baltit (which is now called [Read more…]

Gwadar is a place that has seen quite a bit of controversy throughout the years, not least in modern times. The port city was inhabited even in ancient times, which only means that it has seen a great many of the changes in ruling powers for the region. It saw the rule of Alexander the Great and his generals after him, was once looted by the Portuguese, was taken over by the tribes of Baluchistan, was governed by the Omani, and was purchased by Pakistan in the 1950’s. Despite that, no great and towering monuments have been left behind by these various powers in its history: Gwadar has been, for most of its life, a coastal fishing village, and it is only in recent years that it actually began to see development prompted by state authorities.

Gwadar – port city of Pakistan

Pakistan, working with China, began heavy development of Gwadar in the 20th century, finally putting plans in motion in the early [Read more…]

Karachi is the former capital of Pakistan, ceding the title to Islamabad only in the latter part of the 20th century after authorities decided that a more centrally-located capital would be preferable. Even with that shift, though, Karachi has lost none of its importance to the nation, holding the biggest population in the country as well as a significant part of its economic foundations. Some of the most important industries of Pakistan are based here, and rightly so. Two of the biggest ports on the Arabian Sea are found in this city, after all: Karachi Port, through which more than half the cargo for Pakistan goes, and Port Bin Qasim, which handles a quarter of the total cargo in the country. Put together, the two see over 90% of the cargo for Pakistan.

Wonderful Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim

There is more than economics and trade going on in this city, though. For instance, art is given due attention in the city. This is where [Read more…]

A mere 28km from Larkana town is one of the most fascinating spots you could possibly visit in Pakistan: Mohenjo Daro, a significant representative of the Indus Valley Civilisation or IVC and one of the biggest cities of its time. Presumed to have been founded around four and a half millennia in the past, the city is said to have been vacated by its inhabitants and left a ghost town around 1800 BC, after which time and elements conspired to leave it forgotten for about several thousand years. It was only rediscovered in the 20th century, and since then, it has become one of the most talked-about cities in archaeology, leaving archaeologists with more queries than answers even to this day.

Archaeological site of Mohenjo Daro

Mohenjo Daro used to be on a ridge like most other cities in this time and region, to avoid flooding. Changes in topographic character for [Read more…]